An artist from Washington decided to bring a smile on babies’ and their parents face through her art.
Paula Strawn, 62 is a stay-at-home mom and a grandma who turns Specialized Helmets for Infants with ‘Flat Head Syndrome’ into Works of Art.
She was first approached by a friend whose granddaughter was prescribed one of the helmets.
Strawn told Liftable: “I have always been an artist,”
“I was a stay at home mom of four kids, all adults now. I painted for our home, for friends, then friends of friends, then commissions.”
“One day Kathy Everett, my younger daughter’s first-grade teacher, showed up at my home with her daughter and granddaughter who was wearing a helmet,”
“I’d never seen one before.”
After painting the helmet for her friend’s granddaughter, she started to get inquiries from other parents who wanted to stylize the helmets for their babies.
She told PEOPLE: “Within the year it was my main painting work for folks all over Southern California and within a couple of years I started hearing from folks around the states,”
“The last few years it’s been my full-time business. I get helmets shipped me to daily from all over the country.”
Strawn has painted more than 3,200 helmets in the 15 years and she shares her work on her Instagram page named Lazardo Art.
Strawn told PEOPLE: “It’s a fun, friendly and personal design that brings smiles to baby and a chance for parents to have a conversation about the helmet instead of pity [from others],”
“Smiles are always preferable over pity!”
“I feel blessed beyond all belief to be doing this work, helping others and bringing tons of smiles to babies,” “Looking back on my life, I feel that I was led to do this. It feels more like a calling than a job.”
Her beautiful designs include Captain America, aviator helmets to pretty pink floral designs and Power Rangers. According to PEOPLE, it takes between three hours to 12 hours to finish the work as it depends on the design and she uses water-based non-toxic paint. She also gives discounts to those in the military and twin helmets.
“I hear from parents all the time about what a difference the painted helmet makes!” she told Liftable. “From pity and looking away or ‘oh poor baby’ to ‘oh my gosh how cute!”
“I love painting these helmets that bring happiness and joy and smiles to babies and families,” she said. “I really do have the best job ever!”